Switch



June 21, 1938. E. M. CLAYTOR SWITCH Filed Nov. 15, 1956 gwum/bo'v fdwdrd M5141 yZm" Man: 7311.-

Patented June 21, 1938 SWITCH Edward M. Claytor, Anderson, Ind, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,661

8 Claims.

This invention relates to switches, and more particularly to switches of the rotary type controlled by air currents.

An object of the invention is to provide a controller switch of simplified construction and yet responsive to air currents of varied actuating forces.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a controller switch having an air vane and connections with a suitable current consuming device or devices, whereby low velocity air current impinging against the vane will be insufficient to change the normal relation of the switch contacts, but in which a higher velocity air current will operate to complete the switching functions in response to predetermined conditions.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the air switch of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the switch looking in the direction of arrow 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the switch in a closed position.

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram illustrating an adaptation of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing 20 designates a supporting bracket or plate provided with legs 2| and 22. The leg 2| is suitably apertured to receive a bolt and nut device 23 for attaching the bracket to a support 24.

The leg 22 is provided with an opening to receive a reduced end portion 25 of a bearing sleeve 26. A shoulder 21 formed by the reduced portion of the bearing sleeve is adapted to bear against the underside of the leg 22. The reduced portion extends through an aperture provided in a plate 30 and plate 30 is held firmly upon the upper face of the leg 22' by forcing a portion of the bearing over the plate as at 3|, see Fig. 1. The plate 30 is provided with a recess 33 and said recess registers with an extruded projection or boss 32 provided by the leg 22, the boss operating to prevent the plate 30 from turning relative to the leg. The plate 30 is also provided with a plurality of integral ears or lugs 35, 36, 31 and 38 bent at substantially right angles 'to the plane of the plate 30.

A shaft 40 is rotatably supported in the bearing sleeve 26 and has an opening at one end thereof through which is forced a contact member 4| having a head 42 and a shank 43 with the shank projecting between and beyond the 5 ears 35 and 36. These ears cooperate with the shank portion 43 of the contact member to limit the rotary movement of the shaft 40 in either direction of rotation.

On the other end of the shaft 40, a blade or 10 air vane 50 is secured. This blade is placed in a path of air current produced by a fan, a portion of the fan is shown at 5|, see Fig. 5. When the fan Si is rotating and the current of air produced thereby is strong enough to rotate the 15 blade in a counterclockwise rotation, as viewed in Fig. 3, the blade will rotate the shaft 40 and shank 43 until the shank end engages the ear or stop 36 as indicated in Fig. 4.

A coil spring is disposed about the shaft 4|] 20 between the plate 30 and the contact 4|. The spring has one ehd 6| anchored to the shank portion 43 and the other end 62 anchored to the ear or lug 38. It is to be understood that the end 62 of the spring 60 may be anchored to any 25 one of the ears 35, 36, 31 and 38. In this way the tension of the spring may be varied as desired. The spring 60 urges the shaft in a clockwise direction and normally holds the shank 43 of the contact 4| against the stop 35 to hold the 30 controller switch in a circuit open position.

A stationary contact 65 is insulatingly supported upon the leg 22. The contact 65 is provided with a yieldable end 66 and extends into the path of the contact head 42. The terminal 35 65 is electrically connected to a terminal plate 61. The terminal 65 and the plate 61 are secured in position upon the leg 22 by metal rivets 68 the lower ends of which are upset, as at 69, against the plate 61. 40

The use of the controller switch shown in Figs.

1 to 4 inclusive is suitably adapted in a system of electrical distribution as indicated in Fig. 5. Referring to the wiring diagram, a battery 10 is grounded at one end, the other end is con 45 nected by a lead H to a terminal 12 of a current consuming device 13. A second terminal 14 is connected by a lead 15 to the terminal plate 61. The operation of the above described system is as follows: When the fan 5| is operated at a 50 speed to produce a suflicient draft of air to rotate the vane 50 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Figs. land 5, the shaft 40 will be rotated in a counterclockwise rotation. When the contact head 42 engages the terminal end 66 55 a circuit will be closed. The circuit closed is as follows: from battery l0, leads 1i terminal 12 through the signalling device 13 terminal 14, lead 15, terminal plate 51, contact 66, contact 42, then back to battery through the ground connection.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A switch comprising in combination; a base member; a yieldable contact insulatingly supported by the base member; a plate secured to the base member and provided with a plurality of integral projections; a shaft rotatably supported by the base member; a movable contact carried by the shaft and extending between two of the projections to limit rotary movement of the shaft; 8. spring around the shaft, said spring having one end anchored to the movable contact and the other end anchored to one of the projections to normally hold the contact out of engagement with the terminal; and means for rotating the shaft to move the contact into engagement with the yieldable contact.

2. A switch comprising in combination; a base member; a yieldable contact insulatingly supported by the base member; a plate secured to the base member; a plurality of ears carried by the plate; a shaft rotatably supported on the base member; a contact having a head portion adapted to engage the terminal and a shank extending through the shaft and projecting between two of the ears, said shank cooperating with the ears to limit the rotary movement of the shaft; spring means operable upon the shaft; for normally holding the shank of the contact against one of the stops and the head out of engagement with the terminal; and means for rotating the shaft.

3. An electric switch comprising in combination; a metal support; a yieldable contact insulatingly carried by the support; a rotary shaft journaled on the support; a contact carried by the shaft; spaced members projecting from the support and cooperating with one end of the contact to limit the movement of the shaft in either direction of rotation; and a spring urging the shaft in circuit open position, said spring being coiled about the shaft and having one end anchored to the shaft and the other end adapted to be anchored to either of the projecting members to vary the tension of the spring.

4. An air operated switch comprising in combination; a support; a. terminal insulatingly mounted on the support; a shaft journaled on the support; an air vane carried at one end of the shaft; a circuit closing member carried at the other end of the shaft; a plurality of spaced lugs projecting from the support and a spring adapted to have one end anchored to one of the lugs to vary the tension thereof and the other end to the contact member to normally hold the contact member out of engagement with the terminal, said contact member being brought into engagement with the terminal by the rotation of the shaft when the vane is actuated by a draft of air.

5. An air operated switch comprising in combination; a support; a terminal insulatingly mounted on the support; a shaft journaled on the support; an air vane carried at one end of the shaft; a circuit closing member carried at the other endof the shaft; a plate provided with spaced lugs and secured to the support; a spring having one end anchored to one of the lugs of the plate for varying the tension thereof and the other end to the contact member to normally hold the contact member out of engagement with the terminal, said contact member being brought into engagement with the terminal by the rotation of the shaft when the vane is actuated by a draft of air; and means carried by the support to limit the movement of the circuit closing member in either direction of rotation.

6. A switch comprising in combination, a base member; a yieldable contact insulatingly supported by the base member; lugs carried by the base member; a shaft rotatably supported on the base member; a movable contact carried by the shaft having a head portion adapted to engage the yieldable contact and having a shank portion extending through a pair of lugs to limit the movement of the shaft in either direction of rotation; spring means operable upon the shaft for normally holding the shank of the movable contact against one of the lugs so as to hold the head portion out of engagement with the yieldable contact, said spring being arranged with respect to the lugs so that one end of the spring may be anchored to either of the lugs to vary the tension of the spring; and means for rotating the shaft to move the movable contact into engagement with the yieldable contact.

7. In a switch mechanism having an oscillatable member for actuating a movable contact, and a spring adapixed to return the oscillatable member to a rest position, the combination with the spring, a base provided with a projection thereon, a plate having a notch to receive the projection to prevent rotation of the plate relative to the support, said plate having a plurality of lugs to which one end of the spring may be anchored whereby the return force of the spring can be varied, and a sleeve riveted over the plate to secure the plate on the base whereby the plate will be maintained in the non-rotative relation, the sleeve providing a bearing for the oscillating member.

8. In a switch mechanism having an oscillat-- able member for actuating a movable contact, and a spring adapted to return the oscillatable member to a rest position, the combination with the spring, a base provided with a projection thereon, a plate having a notch to receive the projection to prevent rotation of the plate relative to the support, said plate having a plurality of lugs to which one end of the spring may be anchored whereby the return force of the spring can be varied, certain of said lugs cooperating Withthe movable contact to limit the movements of the oscillatable member in either direction of rotation and a sleeve riveted over the plate to secure the plate on the base whereby the plate will be maintained in the non-rotative relation, the sleeve providing a bearing for the oscillating member.

EDWARD M. CLAY'IOR. 

